


Thulk cuddles

by TeamThor



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce & Hulk Interaction, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Drabble Collection, Fluff and Angst, Hugs, Hulk Hugs (Marvel), Hulk Talks (Marvel), Hurt Thor (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Light Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sharing a Bed, Smart Hulk (Marvel), Tags May Change, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2019-08-18 19:03:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16522841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamThor/pseuds/TeamThor
Summary: A collection of different occasions where hulk gives Thor a big ol' hug, and vice versa





	1. Protector

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little drabble thing that I thought I'd have a go at, I've been browsing the thor/bruce tag for a while and noticed there wasn't much hulk love so  
> here's some garbage enjoy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hulk notices something wrong with the puny god of thunder, and he's determined to find out what.

When he looked around him, Hulk found a lot of things to be angry at. So many things, it was a wonder he hadn't come out sooner.  
The corpses of the aliens splayed out on the field, oily black staining the grass, tainting it. That made him angry. The faces of the people, beaten and tired, burdened with loss. That made him angry, too.  
He hadn't wanted to come out, in fact he'd made a point not to. When Bruce had called, Hulk had dug his heels as far in as they could go and said a pointed no.  
For once, Bruce could fight his own battles. Hulk was hurt, scared. Angry girl from Sakaar was missing. Everyone from Sakaar was missing. And that had included the puny god. Banner had thought he was dead, scattered among the stars, far from earth. Banner had been wrong, and Hulk had never been so glad.  
But something had changed about the puny god. He looked angry.  
Hulk knew angry.  
Maybe that was why he'd come out. Banner could be angry, sure, but Hulk was better at it. Much better. And, if their time together had proved anything, Hulk was better at being angry than Thor, too.  
The ground shook as he chased after the god, far over the stretches of fields, away from the faces and the bodies. It wasn't that hard to track Thor down- just following the smell of burning ozone and it'd always lead back to him. When he found him, it was on the top of a small hill. Hulk tried to approach quietly, but that was one thing that Banner was better at, because Thor noticed him almost immediately, giving him a small nod of acknowledgement before turning his one-eyed gaze back towards the horizon.

A couple of awkward seconds of silence passed before Hulk took matters of conversation into his own hands.  
"Thor sad."  
That was sure to get him. A familiar routine, maybe even something of an inside joke. This was where Thor would screw up his puny features in anger and tell him that he wasn't sad, he was 'pissed off'. That was familiar, Hulk could work with that. All the god had to do was stick to the script.

"...Yup." Came the Gods reply, in a voice not tinged with anger. No, this voice was small. Broken. And completely, utterly, unexpected.  
Thor wasn't supposed to say that. What was Hulk supposed to do now? 

He shuffled his feet awkwardly, dropping down next to Thor to sit with him on the hillside. He chose his next few words carefully, trying to take some advice from what he'd heard other people say. What he thought Banner might say. "Thor want to talk about it?"

A small sniffing sound followed, and he noticed Thor nod, trying to steady his breathing before continuing to speak. "It is...much harder to deal with than I thought it would be, y'know?" The god raised an arm, wiping fiercely at the side of his eyes, almost violently. "I was supposed to kill Thanos, and that would be it. My people would be avenged, that murderer punished, and the ghosts would finally leave me alone. But I was too late, and I just..." 

The god didn't continue for long after that. He broke off instead, trying to forge through the sentences, but eventually giving in to the sobs that shook his shoulders beneath the armor.  
Hulk really didn't know what to do now. Maybe before he would have even found this funny, the God of Thunder, strongest avenger, sitting on a field with his knees pulled to his chest, crying to the wind. But now he just felt...bad. Not angry, or at least, not that kind of angry. It was different. He was angry because Thor was sad, and he wasn't meant to be sad. Hulk wanted to make him not sad.  
Banner would have been better at this, at whispering words of comfort, running his tiny hands through the gods hair and telling him that everything would be alright. Hulks hands were too big for that. Too strong. But, there was always something else he could try.

Tentatively, almost nervously, he brought his hand onto Thor's shoulder. It stilled the shaking at least, if only out of surprise.  
"...Thor want hug?"

That certainly got a reaction. A small smile pricked the corners of Thor's face, and a weak chuckle was soon to follow. "That would be nice. Thank you, my friend." 

What followed was by far one of the most awkward- and oddly pleasant- experiences of Hulk's dual life. He'd offered this, but he'd never expected Thor to actually go through with it. Now he had to figure out how to hug the puny god without crushing his ribs.  
He brought his hand around carefully, scooping the god towards his chest, until his hand rested flat against his back. He felt Thor's arms wrap around his neck, and the two sat there for a while, the sunset glowing orange in the distance. It was quiet out here. Peaceful. With the rolling fields in front and behind them they could've been the only two people left on earth.  
Hulk rubbed his thumb over the gods shoulder-blades as they sat, enjoying the feeling of cradling something rather than destroying it. Thor was puny, compared to him. But he could keep him safe like this. Maybe not forever, or even for much longer. At some point they'd have to go back, and judging by the setting sun that point was going to come a lot sooner than it was welcome.  
But until then, Hulk supposed he could do this.  
He could be Thor's protector, for a little while, at least.


	2. Battlefield blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of a fight, hulk doesn't want to leave. But soon he learns that he and Thor both share a stubborn streak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I love Thor and hulk they're so pure so this is gonna just be a place for me to dump my fics, with each chapter being a new thing

The battlefield air was full of dust, blocking out the sky and the sun and casting an ugly yellow filter onto the ground below.   
Hulk brought his fist down onto one last enemy, watching the creature disappear into the air as the sounds of the battle finally petered out into silence.   
Peaceful- or what Bruce seemed to think was peaceful.   
He could already feel the scientist trying to break through, to take back control, and he let out a snarl, charging across and slamming into a broken piece of alien machinery.   
No banner. Not yet. Hulk wanted to stay, he didn't want to go. It had only been a few hours anyway, why should he have to leave so soon? 

The sharp smell of ozone caught his attention, and he twisted his head away from the wreckage in front of him.   
Thor stood just a few feet in front of him, tired eyes lighting up with a smile as he caught sight of his companion. 

"Hulk!" The demigod took a few careful steps forward, looking up at him. "My friend, what are you doing? The fight is over." 

"Smashing." Hulk grunted, kicking another piece of the tech into the sky. 

Thor watched the warped metal being launched into the atmosphere, a small chuckle escaping from his lips. "But my love, there is nothing left to smash."

Hulk knew what that meant. And he wasn't all that happy about it. He stooped down, one large green hand wrapping around Thor's arm.   
"Smash you." 

"I'd much prefer not to be smashed, thank you." Thor grumbled as he felt himself being pulled into an embrace, Hulk's hand wrapping around his back and securing him against the broad chest of this magnificent creature. 

The God let his eyes slip shut, just for a moment, cradled in the hold of his companion. He didn't particularly want Hulk to leave either. He loved Bruce with all his being, but whenever Hulk would turn those big eyes on him and mutter the syllables 'not fair', his heart practically melted.   
He liked to spend time with the scientist and his creature. Both were beautiful, and in all his years of living he considered himself lucky to have stumbled upon them. 

Hulk dropped onto one knee as Thor's arms wrapped around his neck, hearing the puny figure mutter Asgardian declarations of love- or at least, he assumed that's what they were. Hulk wasn't exactly fluent in Asgardian- he'd only been on that planet when it was bathed in fire. Not enough time to learn.  
There was never enough time to do anything, anymore.

He felt the God lean just a little too much into his hold, and his brow creased in scrutiny.   
That wasn't right. Banner knew it, Hulk knew it.   
Thor loved to cuddle as much as he did, but this soon after a battle? He was always charged with adrenaline, and usually a little electricity. He wasn't the sleepy sort. 

Hulk reluctantly pulled back, holding him in place with one hand on his shoulder as his eyes swept over his form with scrutiny. They landed on a patch of red at the God's side, where a piece of shrapnel from some alien craft was pressed in - deep. 

"Thor hurt." Hulk's voice was a low rumble of disapproval. How could he have not told him this? How could his friend hide the fact that he was broken? 

"I'm not." Thor glanced down, following Hulk's line of sight. He touched his wound gingerly, exhaling sharply as his fingers came away crimson.   
"I'm fine, I promise you. It's just a scratch."

"Thor lying." Hulk stooped further, the Banner voice in the back of his head growing stronger. And this time, he knew he needed to listen. 

Thor did this, sometimes. Pretended he was alright when in reality he was far from it. Banner didn't think the wound was that deep - the word 'superficial' was sprinkled into sentences here and there. And Thor had certainly suffered worse.  
Hulk winced at the memory of a sakaarian gladiator ring.  
But there was a lot of blood, that much they could agree on. And he needed to get the God to a medic before he could disappear into his floor on Stark tower. 

Hulk reached forward, this time for Thor's face. One hand gently cradled the demigods cheek, and the God leant into it, sighing with comfort. 

"Thor need help." This time he tried to make his voice quieter, gentler, something to pull Thor to his way of thinking without any implications of weakness that he knew from experience would make the God...irritable. 

"I'm ok, my love." Thor's hand reached up, tracing Hulk's wrist, his eyes once again fluttering shut as he felt himself crumbling into the hold. His knees buckled, and he stumbled against the Hulk's chest, hands splayed out against his pectorals.   
But, as always, Hulk was there to catch him. He felt one of those hands reaching behind his back, and his feet left the dust-covered ground. 

"Thor stupid." Hulk couldn't help one last jibe, a small snort of laughter crossing his face when the gods tiny features screwed up in tired frustration. 

"Not stupid." He murmured, the sway of Hulk's walk bringing just how tired he was to the front of his attention. And by the Norns, was he tired. He could already feel the battlefield around him fading away, the only noises he could and needed to hear being the Hulk's steady heartbeat, loud and strong against his ear.  
He almost wanted to fall asleep.  
A small part of his brain tried to talk him out of it. He was Thor, son of Odin, King of Asgard. He wasn't going to return from battle asleep in someone's arms because of a piece of shrapnel. It was beneath him.   
But, that part was quickly drowned out by the sound of Hulk's heartbeat. No, it wasn't humiliating. The hulk loved him. Bruce loved him. They'd let him take this moment of comfort, without judgement. He could rest. He was safe.


	3. Hulk have to do everything in this house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is stubborn about needing help from a medic. Luckily, Bruce and Hulk are there to help

The thrumming of the Statesman's engines was an odd comfort to Bruce. So far away from home, but it honestly reminded him of Starks labs. The sound of machinery creaking and beeping provided the same calming ambience, although for once he was asleep in a bed instead of at a desk. 

The relief and exhaustion of coming back had knocked him into the bed almost as soon as he'd gotten there. He wasn't even sure if Hulk would let him back when he jumped out of that craft.   
But Thor had needed him. Asgard had needed him.   
The look on Brunhilde's face when he'd turned back had almost been worth all the worry anyway. She'd wanted a lengthy discussion about what in the hell she'd just witnessed, but Thor had insisted on Bruce getting some rest. Deals were made to continue the revelry at a later date, and soon enough everyone had retired to their rooms to gather their frazzled nerves. 

Bruce was so close to sleep, his first good sleep in months. It seemed only on course for his luck that something would change that.  
The thrum of the machinery beneath his pillow grew into a churning, shrill shriek that sent him sitting bolt upright from the bed. A loud crack echoed from somewhere down the corridor, and he felt Hulk's alarm in the back of his mind.   
But it wasn't a gun that had made that noise.  
It was a sound Bruce knew all too well, the same sound that had blasted through Asgard as it began to burn.

It was the sound of thunder.

It didn't take long for Bruce to be out of his bed, making a half asleep effort to pull on shoes while running down the hallway. Blue light reflected off of the paneled walls, the distant sound of cracking electricity growing closer with every turn. Bruce rounded a final corner, and his stomach clenched at what he found. 

Thor was hunched in the center of the room, arcs of lightning ripping from his body. His whole form was taught, tight, clenched like a fist in the midst of a battle.   
Bruce caught a whimper, and his feet moved forward before he could stop them. 

"Thor? What's happening?" He tried to keep his voice gentle, to limit it to quiet, soothing tones. But he couldn't hide the slight tilt of panic beginning to creep into his voice. Fear, but not for him. 

Thor's single eye flickered up towards where Bruce was standing, the look on his face like a stray animal that had been cornered by a hunter. He raised his hand towards Bruce in a warning, pain and terror cracking his voice.  
"S-Stay back. Please. I can't-"   
Thor was cut off as a particularly vicious arc of lightning tore through his body, and a cry of pain escaped his lips before he could muffle it. 

Bruce swallowed nervously. He'd never seen Thor like this. There were faint memories from Hulk's side of the equation that clawed at his sleep addled mind, but nothing like this. That storm was an impressive feat of battle, a controlled force made to strike down droves of enemies.   
It wasn't supposed to hurt. 

"Just stay calm, alright?" He took a cautious step forward, arms extended out in front of him in a gesture he hoped was placating.   
"Tell me how to help you."

"I can't control it, Banner." Thor looked at his fists, and the arcs of light that darted in-between his fingertips like it was the product of a nightmare. "I can't..." His voice petered off into a sob, and Banner caught his knees shaking with strain. 

"Easy..." Banner tried to take in a measured breath, careful and slow, hoping Thor would follow his example. He knew about losing control. He knew so much about it that he was shocked he hadn't achieved an 8th PhD on the subject. Even now he could hear Hulk's voice poking through the back of his consciousness, addled with sleep as it was. 

'Friend hurt?' The gruff tones of his monster were tinged with worry. 'Hulk help?'

'No.' As much as their relationship had improved through the last couple of days, Bruce didn't fancy bringing Hulk out to deal with an out of control demigod. He was all for experiments, but mixing an aptly described Green Rage Monster with a bucket load of uncontrollable lightning wasn't a formula he was about to engage with.   
He could deal with this on his own. 

"What happened? Can you remember?" Specific things were usually the catalyst of Banner's worries, be that nightmares of destruction or real world dangers in the form of Thaddeus Ross.   
There were any number of these things that could've set Thor off, and he cursed himself for not bringing these up sooner. Hiding emotions was practically the slogan of the Avengers. Thor was never going to be an exception, as good at it as he was. 

The question seemed to still the panic at least for a moment as Thor focused on it. Bolts stopped ripping from his body, limiting themselves to the occasional spark and an eerie glow surrounding the demigod.   
His breathing was ragged, loud against the silence left by the thunder.   
"I... I don't remember..." Thor's voice sounded vacant, far away as he finally answered. His next few words dropped to a pained hiss, and his huge form was visibly shaking now.  
"Everything hurts, Banner. I don't know why." 

Bruce nodded, taking another few steps forward. The storm seemed to be lulling, giving him a chance to get a proper look at the demigod. Still in the soot-stained armour he'd been wearing since...God, since Sakaar. The man himself didn't look like the picture of Asgardian elegance, either. His forehead shone with sweat, skin pale against the harsh lighting of the ships systems.   
'Friend sick' came the discontented grumble of his Other. Bruce shushed him down, but it was a plausible theory. One that he didn't mind exploring.  
He hadn't seen the bigger man see a medic for anything other than his eye. Originally he'd put it down to Thor being, well, Thor. But battling the goddess of death must have resulted in a lot of injuries. Ones, perhaps, he was hiding. 

"You're not well, Thor." He was close now, and he could hear the faint wheezing as his friend took in breath. He saw the puncture wounds underneath the armour, angry and red, clotted with something sickeningly black.   
"You need to see a medic." 

"No."

Well, at least that reply was immediate. If not the typical brand of irritating stubbornness that came from asking a member of the Avengers about their well-being. 

"Look, your wounds are obviously infected. They're just gonna get worse if you don't get them at least cleaned up a little."

Thor shook his head, dragging his vision up to look Bruce in the eye, to summon what little authority he presumed he had as King. "My people need them more. They have suffered worse than I."

"Jesus, dude..." Bruce ran a hand over his face.   
Maybe a long time ago the authoritative tone coming from the 6"3 actual God of Thunder would've worked, but he'd seen this guy in boardshorts. He wasn't going to take orders from his friend, who was sick, and needed help. Even if that meant being a little...harsher, with his bedside manner.  
"They'll suffer even more if they wake up tomorrow and their freakin' King is dead. I know on earth you're the big, strong God of Thunder. But right now you're just my friend, and you're hurting. So are you going to go to the medic-bay walking with me, or do I have to ask hulk to carry you there?"

A moment of silence passed between them, with Thor's eyes finally losing the faint blue glow left behind by the lightning. Now they were filled with something close to shame, his gaze cast down to the floor as his hands nervously toyed with his nails.  
For a moment, Bruce thought he had gone too far. Thor had been through a lot these past few days, and here he was, yelling at him. But then he looked back at the angry wounds on the gods arms, shoulders, back, seemingly everywhere. He couldn't let this go on. He cared about Thor too much to let him go down a path of self destruction that he himself was all too familiar with. 

"I'm sorry." Thor finally replied in a voice that was quiet and timid, but he seemed to be relenting, at least. 

Bruce's shoulders lost some of the tension he didn't realise he'd been carrying. "It's okay, w-"

"I'm sorry, because I can't go to the medics as you've asked." He drew his arms around himself, taking a steadying breath before continuing. "I have tried to avoid the throne for as long as I could, but now it's here and I can't run away from it. And if the first thing my people see of my reign is my weaknesses..."   
He shut his single eye briefly, turning his face away to focus on the star-speckled space just outside of the viewing window.   
"That can't happen. I will deal with this alone." 

Thor turned away from Bruce, trying to burn the sight of the scientists pained expression out of his mind. He'd caused that. Bruce was stranded on a spaceship, thousands of miles from home. He'd turned back into the Hulk to save Asgard, a decision that he didn't know he'd come back from.   
Bruce Banner had plenty to worry about, but now he was choosing to worry about him. 

His intention, for now, was to head down the corridor and deal with the wounds himself. He wasn't as skilled as the medics, or Loki, in healing magic, but he knew a thing or two. Enough to seal the wounds and hope for the best, at least. He'd retire to his chambers, and allow sleep to stitch him back together. 

At least, that had been the plan. 

Hulk's hand clamped around his arm faster than he could register, stopping him in his tracks and causing him to yelp at the jolt that ran through his injured shoulder. 

"Thor go get help." Hulk's voice rumbled from somewhere above him as the green giant tugged Thor back along the corridor. 

Thor dug his heels in as far as they could go, knowing that it was futile. At his strongest, fighting Hulk had been a challenge. Now he was weak, much weaker than Sakaar, and Hulk knew it.   
His only hope was bargaining. 

"Unhand me!" Thor grabbed onto a piece of piping sticking out of the wall, causing Hulk to turn around with a grunt of frustration. 

"Thor being stupid!" Hulk turned around to face him, attempting to pry Thor's fingers away from the pipe. For a moment, Thor was anchored, and it seemed they had reached a stalemate. At least until a particularly harsh pull had the unfortunate side effect of ripping the pipe itself from the wall with a sickening clang, sending Thor careening into the Hulk's chest. 

Hitting into the expanse of green muscle was what finally pulled the strength out of Thor's protests. The air was knocked from his lungs, and while he made to argue further, he instead collapsed to the floor with a pathetic wheeze. 

Hulk looked down at him, heaving a soft sigh that sounded close to pity which only served to make Thor's stomach turn further.   
"Come on, Blondie." The green figure stooped to the floor, scooping Thor into an uncomfortable bundle into his arms.   
"Thor done now." 

"This is ridiculous." Thor turned, mumbling into Hulk's chest as they passed the viewing window. 

"Hulk have to do everything here." 

"I didn't ask you to do this." 

"Said no to Banner." Hulk shifted Thor in his arms, making the position a little more bearable. "Baby arms make Hulk do this."

Thor sighed softly, finding his strength to argue quickly failing. It would have been a fruitless attempt anyway- and not just because of the toll of his injuries. If he was being honest with himself, and only to himself, it was a strangely welcome feeling passing through the halls, cradled in arms larger than his own. It may have been undignified, and certainly far from king-like behaviour, but it was comforting.   
And after the events of the past few days, he needed some comfort.

He felt Hulk's hold around him grow a little tighter, and he settled a little further into his grip, his eyes slipping shut, just for a moment. At least that's what he told himself. 

In actuality Thor was asleep long before Hulk reached the med-bay, and thankfully stayed that way as he was dumped unceremoniously onto a bed. To his credit, Hulk had tried to be gentle, but it was difficult when the God was so puny.   
Hulk felt Banner stir in the back of his mind as he turned to leave, but the feeling was what stopped him at the doorway. It was praise, at least it felt like it.   
Banner was pleased with him. Not disgusted, not traumatised.   
Pleased. 

'Thank you, Hulk. I can take it from here.'

Hulk grunted in response as he felt Banner start to re-emerge. 

'Banner welcome.'


	4. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hulk was Bruce's protector. From Ross, from guns, from himself, sometimes. But how far is he willing to go?

Bruce had thought he was okay. He'd thought he could get through this fight, this one last fight, without incident. By himself, smashing Outriders left and right with the metal coated fists of the hulkbuster. Hulk had done his part, facing down Thanos on the Statesman.   
Now? Now, it was Bruce's turn.   
And he was calm. He was confident. For the first time in his life he wasn't useless, he wasn't a nuke sitting idle with people waiting for him to explode. He was a fighter.   
And he was winning. 

But then Thor had fallen from the sky, and his world was turned onto his side. A streak of red, hitting the battlefield with a dull thump was all it had took to make his heart clench with fear again. 

And when Thor didn't get up, he felt the green appearing at the side of his vision. He willed it down, he begged, because he had to help. Thor needed his help, he could be hurt, but the suit was crushing against his growing muscles and he couldn't hold it back and -

Hulk tore off the arms of the machine, shaking the metal cage off of his shoulders as he stormed over the battlefield, towards where the red cape fluttered in the wind like a flag.   
He crouched down, a frown quickly crossing his face.   
Thor was pale, curled up tightly on the ground, hands clamped around his middle. 

"Thor?" Hulk kneeled down placing one hand as gently as he could on the tiny gods shoulder. He was about to ask what was wrong, when his eyes caught sight of the red seeping between Thor's fingers. 

Thor whimpered in response, clenching tighter around himself. Hulk wanted to stoop, to take the God into his arms and press him close to his chest to stop the shivering. But the thunderer yelped the second Hulk's hand went near the wound on his chest. 

Hulk drew back, his eyebrows furrowing as he glanced up to the battlefield around them. Smoke rose from broken spaceships in the distance, and he could faintly hear the sounds of the battle being cleared up.   
He could make it.   
They could make it. 

"Thor have to trust Hulk." 

"What?" Thor cracked open one eye, watching him carefully. "What are you doing?" 

Hulk looked down at him, tilting his head slightly. "Hulk lift. Thor not make this difficult."

Thor's eyes...well, eye, widened. "No. No way." The god attempted to push himself up, scooting back away from Hulk's wandering hand. But the slightest movement made him cry out, and a flash of lightning cracked overhead.   
"I can't, Hulk. I can't." 

Hulk made a deep rumbling noise in his chest, slowly attempting to move to his feet.   
"Fine, Hulk go get help. Thor stay here."

"No, no wait." Thor's voice was suddenly filled with a frightening desperation, lunging forward to pull Hulk back down to the floor.   
"Don't leave me." His hands scrambled for purchase on the muscles of Hulk's shoulders, clinging to it with what dwindling strength he had left.   
"Please. I don't want to be alone for this, I can't-"

So, this was it then. Thor's voice held a frightening certainty, the thunderer staring up at him with eyes filled with something off-putting. He was brave. Of course he was, it was Thor. But he still looked...scared. 

"It's okay, Blondie." Hulk cradled Thor in his arms, green eyes boring down into the blue. "Hulk not leave you." 

The sound of the gods broken breathing, a faint wheeze interrupted by the occasional coughing fit was all that broke the careful silence constructed between the two. Hulk knew he was supposed to say something, but he didn't know what. Goodbye, probably. But saying goodbye would make it real, that Thor really was going to die. And that he couldn't do anything to stop it. All he really knew how to do was hold Thor tighter, trying to give him one last moment of comfort with hands that had only been used to destroy. Until Angry Girl who showed him how to high five, until Loki who showed him how to read. Until Thor, who would kiss each pad of his fingers and tell him that he loved him. 

"Hulk, can you do something for me?" Thor glanced up at him, his face pale and one eye watering, the other one sparking with the last few dregs of electricity that were still coursing through the gods veins. 

Hulk nodded, the same pained frown crossing his face. 

"C-Can you tell me a story? Until the end?" 

Another nod, and Thor sighed with bittersweet content, settling into Hulk's arms like he had so many times before. As if it was the end of a cosey night on the Statesman, and tomorrow he'd still wake up next to Banner after falling asleep on the Hulk's chest. 

If he'd had more time he would've picked a story more suitable for the occasion. But, as it was, time was short. And it wasn't as if he had Banners level of life experience anyway. So he picked one that he and Thor both knew, that they'd been there for. He talked for what seemed like hours about their fight on Sakaar, about when they'd fought together on the rainbow bridge, and how he'd thrown that stupid wolf off of the side of the river. He talked about their time in the Statesman, training with Angry Girl, and how at the end of each sparring session they'd be laying on the mats, tears in their eyes from laughing so hard.   
Hulk brought back every memory he had that he and Thor had shared, even as far back as the Helicarrier, and how he'd beaten the puny god in battle even then. 

Thor offered his occasional rebuttal where he could, but his injuries soon worsened past the point of responding. The deep voice dropped to a murmur, and then to nothing but strained breathing. 

And then to nothing at all. 

Hulk didn't know how long he spent out on the battlefield, Thor's cold body clutched to his chest like a child holding a broken plaything, carefully, as if any gentle treatment now could bring the life back into the gods blue eye, or once again stir that deep baritone laughter in the now still chest. 

Angry Girl came to join him, placing one hand on his arm defeatedly. Her face said it all. They'd won, but at what cost?

"Hey, Big Guy." 

Hulk grunted in response. 

Valkyrie took a moment, her teeth clenched tight with the pain. It was better to let it seethe under her skin, to let the fire of the fury burn rather than quench it with tears. Thor had been a warrior, they both had. A warrior did not weep. 

She swallowed shakily, trying to steady her breath. "You can't stay out here. The other Asgardians will want to give him a proper send off." 

"Few more minutes." 

"What about Banner?" Angry girl asked, her voice quiet and subdued and her gaze fixed firmly out onto the horizon. 

Hulk shook his head. "No Banner."   
Although, his voice was a murmur now, and the words carried none of their usual spite or stubbornness.   
This wasn't about Hulk's feelings. If it was, he'd have let Bruce take the reigns hours ago.   
This was about his goal, his job, protecting Banner. Because as much as he was hurting now, he couldn't let the fragile scientist see. Ignoring the yells of protest, screaming in the back of his mind, hulk pushed Banner back, far back than he'd ever been before, not even giving him a glimpse of what lay at his feet. 

"You know, usually, the royal family would disappear into the stars?" Valkyrie finally said something to break the silence, taking a seat next to him on the hillside.  
"Their bodies would be scattered into the universe, and their souls would reach Valhalla."

Hulk briefly glanced back down at her, making a small huffing noise, before turning his attention up to the sky. He couldn't see any stars. Just an ugly, orange sky. 

"But, I suppose, Asgard is gone now. And we..." Her voice shook slightly, and she took a moment to clear her throat. "We just have to move on. It's what he'd want." 

He knew what that meant. But that didn't mean he was happy to hear it. He was Banner's protector. If he let him see this, then he knew what would happen. The tiny scientist would hurt. Badly.  
But he had to find out eventually. He had to know. Hulk couldn't keep this from him forever.  
He had to let them both move on. 

Hulk relinquished his hold on the back of his mind, and felt the shrinking in his bones.   
He caught Valkyries eyes, and gave her a passing nod as Bruce began to emerge. 

And as he passed the halfway point, he heard Banner scream


	5. No spoon only hulk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is used to Banner being there for him. The man was so full of love and compassion, and he felt that was often taken for granted.   
> After a nightmare, Thor is all to happy to return the favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thor spooning Bruce? Beautiful  
> Hulk spooning Thor? Beautiful  
> Thor spooning hulk? Well, see for yourself

Thor knew something was wrong from the moment he turned over, expecting to wind his arm around Bruce's shoulders but instead being met with the cold, empty bedside.  
That wasn't to say Bruce didn't make it all the way to bed, sometimes. Thor had lost count of the amount of times he'd caught him face-down on his desk in the lab, snoring into a pile of papers. 

But Bruce had been there.   
They'd fallen asleep together, the tiny scientist tucked close to Thor's chest. Bruce wouldn't just leave after that, not unless something had happened. 

Thor's eye took a moment to adjust to the darkness, but eventually found what he was looking for. A huge, dark shape, taking up nearly a whole corner of their bedroom.   
He frowned, sitting up against the headboard, blankets falling into his lap. "Hulk?" He stifled a yawn with the back of his hand, scratching at the underside of his neck. "What time is it?"

Hulk grunted in response, turning sharply to face the wall. "Blondie go back to sleep. Hulk fine."

Hulk was very clearly not fine, and being a self proclaimed master of the 'hide your emotions' game, Thor saw right through him.   
He shifted onto his knees, holding his hand out to the dark. "Only if you come back with me." 

Hulk stared at his outstretched hand for a moment, as if considering the option. A few seconds of careful silence ticked by before Hulk made another low growling sound, and twisted away from Thor's reach.  
"Hulk not need sleep. Not like puny God." 

"Was it a nightmare?" 

Hulk paused, turning his green eyes sharply onto Thor in what could've been considered a glare. But Thor had been around long enough. He knew Hulk, and he knew the difference between frightened and angry, as thin as that line was. 

"Look, you don't have to tell me what it was about." 

Although, he could probably guess. The day that Banner had told Thor about his past, about his mother, about Ross, that was a day he would never forget. It burnt in the back of his mind every time he had to interact with Ross at the compound. Thor had had to remind himself consistently that no, he wasn't allowed to electrocute an influential member of government, however much he might like to.

Although, he wouldn't deny that it was satisfying knowing he could. 

Knowing he could protect Banner from that monster, if the occasion arose. 

Thor cleared his throat, edging closer to the end of the bed.  
"You don't have to say anything, not if you don't want to. But I'm not going back without you." He leant forward, until his fingers gently brushed against Hulk's skin. "I'm not leaving you." 

Hulk's sharp gaze softened somewhat, as he tentatively reached out his hand towards Thor's. Hand holding was slightly difficult when Thor could only really get a strong grip on two of Hulk's fingers, but even that seemed to be making some progress.   
Hulk gradually pushed himself out of the corner, following Thor back onto the re-enforced bed (courtesy of Stark technology, an invention that the man had insisted on creating the second Banner had confessed their relationship). 

Thor brought himself up from his knees, balancing awkwardly on the mattress until he met Hulk's height. He pressed a careful hand on the side of Hulk's cheek, taking a moment to admire the stark contrast of green and tan, before speaking in the careful tones that he knew by now to use.

"You know I'll always protect you, right?" 

"Hulk not need protecting." He scowled, although his face was still pressed firmly into Thor's hands. "Banner need protecting."

"I know." Thor hesitated for a moment, but soon leant forward until his forehead was touching Hulk's, and his single blue eye met the dark green ones before him. "But for both of you, I will always be there. I swear by it, as long as there is breath in my chest. I will not let anything happen to you- either of you." 

The seconds slipped by into minutes, with only the sound of Hulk's heartbeat beneath Thor's hand breaking the comfortable evening silence.   
Thor hated seeing them like this. Hulk or Banner, each one had the capacity for fear, and so often were pushed into showing it. Each battle, each team squabble, each voice or gesture that was just a little too loud or sudden forced that fear back into those brown eyes, and every time it broke Thor's heart. 

Banner had been there for him- Hulk, too. When the world seemed to collapse around him and the pressures of the throne grew so loud he thought he'd scream, there was always a pair of arms, big or small, for him to fall into. He could bury his face in the collar of a lab coat or an expanse of green muscle, and let the memories fade for a while.   
He wanted to do the same for Banner. He needed to do the same. 

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Hulk finally slumped back against the headboard, watching Thor with wary eyes.   
He shoved the demigod lightly on the shoulder, the expression of anxiousness finally breaking into a toothy grin. "Thor soft!" 

"No, Thor just cares about you." He attempted a disapproving grumble, but the deep boom of Hulk's laughter pushed the smile back onto his face almost immediately as he scrambled back up towards the headboard, bringing the thick duvet with him.   
"Now, my love, it is 4 in the morning. Do you want to sleep?"

That didn't seem to go down well Hulk drew in a sharp breath, twisting harshly into his side, dragging most of the blankets with him. The huge shoulders shuddered beneath the blankets, and a deep rumble of discontent shook the room.

Thor sighed, idly tracing one hand over Hulk's shoulders as he racked his brain for a solution. Leaving Hulk alone for the night was out of the question, but he knew Banner hadn't slept properly in weeks. And his week was stocked with meetings about the future of Asgard. Hulk and Thor were similar in many ways, both fire no matter how insistent Hulk was about Thor's punyness. He knew what comforted him when the nights seemed to stretch out into infinity. Maybe it would be the same for the Hulk? 

"Hulk?" Thor nudged his shoulders slightly, prompting a grunt of response. "Can I try something?" 

"Thor not make this weird." Hulk warned, turning his head ever so slightly in Thor's direction. 

"I'm not- look, I just want to help." He paused, glancing down at the Hulk's sprawled form beneath the sheets. "Please?"

He wasn't overly sure if Hulk was going to ignore him completely or throw him out of the bed. Stars above, that did seem to happen all too often. He was fairly sure he'd left a Thor-sized dent in the floorboards somewhere from the amount of times nighttime tossing and turning had gotten too rough. 

Luckily, Hulk didn't seem to be doing either. He caught a mumbled "whatever", before Hulk tugged the blankets further over his shoulders with a dismissive grumble. 

Thor scooted forward, wrapping his arms around the Hulk's shoulders, nestling his chin against the thick black curls with a contented sigh.   
There had truly never been a better cure for night terrors than being held in Banner's arms, and it had been all too long since he had returned the favour. Now seemed as good a time as any. He felt some of the tension leave Hulk's shoulders, the gentle rise and fall of his chest bringing a yawn from Thor's throat. 

"What Thor doing?" Hulk mumbled, bringing one heavy hand back to prod Thor in the side. 

"Ah, I believe Banner referred to it as spooning?" Thor planted a gentle kiss into the crown of Hulk's head. "We can stop, if you wish."

"No. It's okay." Hulk's breathing began to even out, and Thor caught the glint of moonlight dancing across green eyes. "Feels nice." 

"Does Hulk feel safe?" 

Thor felt Hulk nod beneath his chin. 

With a satisfied smile, Thor pressed his chest closer to Hulk's back, feeling the heat radiate from the thick green muscle. A small wave from his hand conjured a light drizzle of rain outside, pattering against the windowpane of their apartment. Bruce would probably chide him for driving the meteorologists crazy tomorrow, but if throwing off weather patterns would help Hulk feel less afraid? He'd cause a hurricane, if he had to. Luckily, he didn't think he had to. Hulk's breathing began to slow, the rise and fall of his chest evening out with each wave of rain.   
He knew that this was only a temporary win. Ross was still a very real threat to Bruce, to all of them. Even from their brief meeting all those months ago, he imagined Ross would very much love to see him laid out on an operating table. The thought that he'd wanted, and almost succeeded to do that to Bruce? 

It still hurt. Chances are that would never fade. 

But for now, they were safe. 

For now, Hulk could sleep. And Thor would protect him.


	6. First Smash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor's always been taught to hone his anger. To use it like a weapon. But his world has fallen apart around him, and he has nowhere to direct his rage but himself. 
> 
> Hulk, however, knows the perfect place to put it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's been a while since I've updated this  
> I'm on Tumblr @teamthorsblog for anyone who doesn't know, and I post my stories both there and here! Enjoy this light angst from yours truly

Thor stared out at the ocean from the cliffside, watching it broil and move under the power of the storm that was seething under his skin.  
His fists clenched, fingernails pressing red shapes into his palms.  
He was angry.  
But it was more than that.  
It wasn't a bright flash of lightning, a sudden spike in an argument that he was able to yell his way out of. It was a deep coiling thing in his gut, a parasite that gripped his dreams and brought a pounding headache between his eyes. 

He didn't want to brag, but he was getting pretty good at the whole 'suppressing your feelings' deal. Hours of his childhood spent waiting for royal portraits to be painted had taught him to take any problems or temper tantrums he had and push them down where no one could see them. Because no one wanted to know. No one needed to know.  
He had a job to do. And at the moment, that was more heavy lifting and constructing buildings than sitting and smiling, but it was still a job. Still a facade, albeit one of strength rather than congeniality. New Asgard needed a king. And he had to fill that role, whether he wanted to or not. 

But that didn't mean he was good at that. He had the strength to lift, but not exactly the skill. One wrong move, one piece of timber slipping from his hands, and the entire roof of the hut he'd been constructing had collapsed around him. He'd been fine- well, physically he was fine- but something inside of him had just...snapped. The weather wasn't listening to him anymore, and it seemed the more he tried to put things together the more they'd break apart. He was furious at himself, but he'd given up. Resolved to think the matter over once his head had a chance to clear.  
If it cleared. And this wasn't just who he was now. 

And of course, he didn't tell Bruce, even though he was certain he was curious. He'd felt the scientists eyes on him, sensed the beginning of the dreaded question, 'are you okay' being asked, and he couldn't have that. He couldn't risk snapping at Bruce. The scientist had so much to worry about already, and Thor's anger tended to manifest itself in... particular ways. Ways that Bruce didn't need to be subjected to. Doors got slammed, dishes set down too harshly, and Thor would rather die than make Bruce feel unsafe in their own home.  
Maybe he'd avoiding Bruce, a little. But it was for the best. The ocean wasn't going to get scared by a bit of emotional thunder

The cliff tops reminded him of where Odin had died, the place that he'd labelled 'home' before he scattered into dust. It reminded him of Odin in general, really. Cold stone, colder water. Could be unforgiving and cruel or be sunny and welcoming depending on how you looked at it.  
He chose the latter. These days, golden tinged nostalgia was in short supply.

It was so quiet, out there. Until the storm had arrived, the storm that he-

"What Thor doing?" 

Thor yelped at the deep rumbling tones and the heavy hand that suddenly clamped onto his shoulder. The shock of which conjured a blast of lightning. Which in turn, destroyed the clump of land he'd been standing on. 

A few cold, and ever more anger inducing moments later he was climbing out of the water with an awful squishing sound in his boots. Hulk had apparently climbed down some time ago, and was standing on the gravelly beach, green eyes staring at him with an innocent curiosity. 

"Thor wet." Hulk grumbled, poking him roughly in the shoulder. 

"Oh, is he? Is he wet, Hulk? Because I hadn't noticed!" Thor yanked a strand of seaweed from his hair, throwing it onto the ground, the scowl on his face etching itself further. 

Hulk narrowed his eyes, looking over him in a way similar to Bruce. He was connecting dots, linking the burning skies to the dripping demigod in front of him, and it eventually lead him to a conclusion. 

"Thor angry." 

"Of course I'm angry, I just got dunked in the ocean! In mid September!" Thor shook his head, using his fingers to twist the water out of his hair with little care or comfort. "You can't just sneak up on me like that." 

"Not what hulk mean." The green giant moved closer, prodding Thor in the chest, but with a softer gesture than before. More of a careful placement of the finger, hovering over his heart.  
"Thor angry in here. Before Hulk."

Thor felt the momentary expulsion dying out slightly, although that was more Hulk's fault than his. He couldn't exactly maintain burning fury when Hulk was so clearly just trying to help. To figure out what was wrong with his friend and eventually right the wrongs.  
It wasn't that simple. But, Thor had enough sense to keep his manners in check- Hulk deserved respect. Even if it was only a politely phrased way of declining any offers he'd make. 

"I'm fine. You just startled me." Thor lifted his own hand, pressing it against Hulk's wrist with a smile that he hoped didn't seem forced.  
"My apologies, beloved." 

Hulk grunted in response, standing still for a moment, watching Thor carefully as Bruce might watch an important experiment. Weighing up pros and cons, equations dancing before his eyes, figuring out a hypothesis. Whatever hypothesis he'd figured out, he seemed pretty eager to put into practise, as soon Thor's wrist was being dwarfed by a large, green hand. 

"Hulk take puny god somewhere. Help him be angry." Hulk turned his face towards the roadside, starting to walk before Thor could even let out a response, his ruined boots dragging muddy trails behind where he was being pulled. 

"I don't want to go anywhere, Hulk. Honestly, I just want to be left alone for a while." After a great deal of protesting, Thor finally yanked his arm free, taking a few steps backward down the path.  
"And I'm not angry."

Hulk gave him a look, a slightly arched eyebrow and an unimpressed curl of the lip that said 'we both know I can just pick you up and make you do this, so let's skip all of that nonsense and go where I want to go'. 

After a few seconds of this silent standoff, Thor sighed. He didn't fancy being tossed around like a sack of flour, so he limited his protests to rolling his eyes in what he hoped was a clear gesture that he wasn't going to enjoy this whatsoever, and offered Hulk his arm again. 

"Might I ask where we're going?" 

"No." Hulk bared his teeth in a grin, a small sparkle of excitement dancing behind his eyes that put Thor's protests momentarily on hold, if only to give way to curiosity.  
"It surprise." 

"You've been planning this, then?" Thor glanced up at Hulk as they walked, thankful at least that he was going as a pace that he could match. 

"Thor avoiding Banner. Hulk thought of it then." 

"Ah." He glanced down at the pavement, feeling the familiar tendrils of guilt begin to wind their way around his chest.  
"Is he upset?" 

Hulk shook his head, large fingers subconsciously tightening their hold around Thor's wrist.  
"Worried. Both are." He paused in his speech, thick brows furrowing in an expression of intense concentration, carefully picking out the next few words.  
"But, Hulk think of surprise. Going to make things better." 

 

***

 

Half an hour of walking, and a great deal of complaining from his part, they arrived at their destination. And Thor had to say, this was not what he was expecting. Or remotely hoped for.  
He had imagined maybe a trip to some hot springs, or a nice piece of Nordic scenery.  
Instead, Hulk had taken him to a garbage dump. 

"Alright, you're going to need to explain this to me. Because I'm not exactly sure how this is going to make me feel better." Thor narrowly avoided tripping over a hunk of metal, wrapping his arms around himself to try and at least keep some of the biting weather at bay. 

Hulk snorted, stomping back to where Thor was standing, and pointing to the large piles of wreckage.  
"When Hulk angry, Hulk smash. Now Thor try." 

Thor blinked, turning his eyes back towards the landscape with a slightly raised eyebrow.  
"Firstly, I'm not angry. Secondly, even if I was angry, which I'm not, I wouldn't want to do...this." 

"Thor not know how?"

"What? Of course I know how. I just don't want to do it." A few light spatterings of raindrops pattered onto his face, and he glanced up at the sky momentarily, watching as dark storm clouds loomed in the distance. This wasn't working.  
He ran a hand down his face, trying to find another excuse that maybe Hulk would understand.  
"Look, I'm freezing. Can we not just talk about this later?" 

Hulk seemed to consider this second point, however the conclusion he reached wasn't really what Thor was getting at. Large hands pushed on Thor's shoulders, sitting him down on a fallen log. 

"Puny God watch Hulk. Learn." 

The ground rumbled as Hulk made his way over to one of the larger pieces of wreckage - some kind of industrial metal. He glanced back over his shoulder, searching Thor's face for some kind of affirmation that he was watching.  
He brought his fists down onto the scrap with a driving power, the pieces breaking clean in two with the force of it. He smiled, a toothy, wide grin that maybe lifted Thor's heart just a tiny bit, and looked back at Thor expectantly. 

"Now Thor turn!" 

Hulk said it with so much enthusiasm that Thor couldn't help but smile a bit, even if his answer remained a resolute no. 

"I'll be your spectator Hulk, but no more than that. You have fun." 

"Thor boring! Puny God join in!" 

"Hulk-"

"Please?" 

Hulk's posture was suddenly unsure, big green eyes pleading at him in a way that he hadn't really seen since Sakaar, when the back of the quinjet was being torn to pieces while Hulk simply asked for his friend to stay. Now, Thor wasn't going anywhere, and that was kind of the problem. He was used to flying through the galaxy, to jumping down to Midgard to destroy the occasional foe. He was used to freedom. In all of that he'd forgotten how to have fun, and Hulk knew it.  
So he was resorting to what he knew best. Smashing. 

"I suppose it couldn't hurt…" Thor pushed himself to his feet with a small groan, feeling the bruises on his back really start to catch up to him which definitely didn't help his mood improve.  
But Hulk was clearly waiting for something, and for once, Thor wanted to provide. He wanted to do the right thing, and if that meant smashing something to see his friend smile?  
Then so be it. 

His fingers crackled with lightning as he clenched a fist, looking for a suitable target. His eyes landed on the old remains of a vehicle, long since abandoned and stripped of anything worthwhile.  
And then, he let the anger fly. The arc of electricity spun out of his grasp, charring the metal black and spraying molten fragments out across the dirt, individual pieces still glowing red with heat when they hit the ground. 

Hulk whooped, his large hand clapping Thor on the shoulder, teeth bared in a smile even wider than before. And Thor couldn't help but join him, a small laugh escaping his lips before he could stop it.  
Because it did feel good. He'd been content to let the pressure inside him sit, to fossilize and whither with time, but this? It might have been wild, untamed, and definitely far from the kingly stoicism he was supposed to show, but this felt right. It felt true. 

Hulk roared with the lightning, shoving Thor playfully to the side. "Blondie do the lights again!" 

And, really, who was he to deny him? 

He let the lightning surge again and again, and at some point the skies had split open and began pelting rain down onto the stone below, but he didn't care. His hair was a mess and his clothes were soaked and he couldn't differentiate between the tears streaming down his face or the rain - but Hulk was laughing, and he was laughing, and for the first time in a long while he felt happy. Like a weight had been yanked off his shoulders and ripped in half by giant hands the colour of emeralds.

Things took a turn for the considerably less serious when the dirt turned to mud, and Hulk decided it was a good idea to deposit a handful of it directly at Thor's back. Thor of course, being the warrior he was, retaliate tenfold. And then Hulk had returned that attack, and within the span of about half an hour things could truly be considered a mess. 

But a good one. One that harkened back to simpler times. To a sunny afternoon in Asgard, to fake duels in the courtyard with wooden swords and toy wands, to imaginary stories acted out through the looming castle corridors. 

The two ended up sitting under a tree, taking shelter from the rain that hurled itself from the skies with such intensity that it looked horizontal. It had slipped out of Thor's control, and into the realm of the natural. The only thing left to do was wait it out, and as such, the adrenaline began to fade. 

Hulk had been considered a hero of Asgard for quite some time after his defeat of Fenris, and that had called for those that could to band together and give him gifts of their thanks. One of these had been Asgardian attire, to cement his place among them, roaming from cloaks to full on robes that Hulk had politely accepted, but ended up wearing in completely the wrong way.  
It was one of these cloaks that Hulk yanked off his own shoulders now, tucking the blue fabric around Thor's shoulders with an expression of fondness. 

"Thor feel better?" He asked, almost nervously, watching Thor's face from the corner of his eyes, lifting his arm in somewhat of an invitation. A question- asking him to stay. 

Thor nodded, huddling close into the Hulk's welcoming embrace, resting his head against the comforting warmth of green muscle and savouring the feeling of Hulk's arm around his shoulders, holding him close.  
"A lot better, actually." He glanced upwards, twisting his head to press a shy kiss onto Hulk's side. "Thank you." 

"Thor welcome. Puny God good at smashing- not as good as Hulk, though." Green features crinkled into a grin, and Thor felt the deep vibrations of his laughter against his cheeks, prompting a tired chuckle of his own. 

Thor sighed, partly in contents but partly because of something...more. His brow creased in a small frown as an uncomfortably familiar feeling began to crawl its way back up, with the lightning not around to burn it back anymore. 

Hulk's arm tightened around him, and the deep tones of his voice echoed from somewhere above.  
"Why Thor angry?" 

The question was simple, but he knew it was much more than what it appeared. It didn't just mean why was he angry. It meant why the whole act. Why did he hide from Bruce, why didn't he just ask for help, why did he shut himself off from anyone for days on end?  
Why didn't he stay? 

"It was a year ago." Thor's answer was quiet, mumbles into the expanse of blue cloth that he really just wanted to draw over his head and hide, like a child from a nightmare. But he couldn't hide from this anymore. Hulk deserved to know. But that didn't make telling him any easier.  
"Heimdall, and...and Loki. They died a year ago. As did half of my people, and some of those from Sakaar."

"Oh." Hulk's voice was muted with understanding, and Thor felt a pair of large lips pressing against the crown his head before the rough voice continued.  
"Thor not angry. Thor sad."

"I'm both." Thor's throat was really starting to hurt now, but the second he'd started talking the words didn't seem to want to stop, continuing well past the point where he would normally stop.  
"I felt so useless- I feel so useless. I couldn't save them, couldn't even summon a spark, but the day before I rained thunder down from the skies. I should've done that, but I didn't, and I don't know why. And I never even got to apologise for it. And even now, with the village, I can't do anything and I'm useless and I just-"

Thor reached his limit not long after that, resigning himself to angry tears muffled by his hand. Hulk repositioned himself, holding Thor closer, tighter, with a grip that he was sure would kill a normal man. Fingertips the size of chest plates rubbed his back, puffs of breath hot against his ear. 

"Thor not useless." Hulk rested his hands against Thor's shoulders, moving him until he was sitting cross-legged in his lap, making sure that the God was looking at him. "Thor help protect Banner. Help protect earth. Thor better than strong. Thor brave." 

A small, bewildered, and tear stained smile found its way across Thor's face. He shakily moved to his feet, cupping Hulk's face in his hands.  
"Thank you, Hulk." He pressed a kiss onto his cheek, grinning slightly as a darker green blush spread across the face in front of him. 

"Hulk still stronger though. Puny God being soft." He shoved Thor back onto the ground, the God in question landing with a small 'oof' back into the mud they'd just escaped from. 

"Oh, of course. How could I forget?" Thor stood up, trying to brush some of the dirt off himself before he realised that that task was going to be entirely impossible. "Now, I think I'm ready to go back home. Coming?" 

Hulk grunted his agreement, beginning to step down the beaten path back towards the village, but not before picking Thor up single handedly and placing him over his shoulders. 

"Do you mind? I do have a reputation to maintain. Y'know, King of Asgard, and all that." 

"Thor being baby. Hulk also have reputation - strongest Avenger."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" 

"No." Hulk snorted, footsteps shaking the ground around him. "Hulk talk about it forever."

"Aw, you're going to think about me forever?"

"Shut up."


	7. Goodnight, Sakaar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor tries to brood over what his destiny means for him, but it's a little awkward to stay angsty when sharing a bed with the Hulk

It was quiet. Which was surprising, given the green giant sleeping next to him. He'd honestly expected Hulk to be a snorer, or perhaps a talker, but all he got was the faint sound of breathing and the gentle rise and fall of a chest.

The silence left a ringing in his ears, a pounding behind his skull left over from the gladiator ring that made every muscle twinge and was really making sleep difficult at this point. It wasn't that he wasn't tired - he was fairly sure he'd never been this tired in his life. But his mind wouldn't rest, wouldn't settle, and kept forcing the unwanted to the forefront of his thoughts. 

If not for the disc in his neck, he was fairly sure he would be conjuring a storm by now.  
He could feel the lightning seethe under his skin, and for a moment idly watched it burn and glimmer across his hand.   
Sparkles.  
Useless, stupid, sparkles.   
That was all that was left of the power that had ripped apart the skies themselves. His hammer, crushed like glass in the fist of his sister. And with it, his power. 

Thor pulled the blanket up closer around himself, trying to stifle the soft glow of his hands, and instead turned his gaze towards the stars. Different to Asgard, Midgard, any of the places he'd been. Sakaar seemed to have its own constellations, its own system that moved outside of the 9 realms he'd been raised in.

The 9 realms that could be on fire, by now. Burnt to their core by Hela and whatever army she'd managed to amass.   
Stars twinkled above him, and somewhere out there was his home. His kingdom. And it was burning. It was burning and he couldn't do a thing about it because of a disc. 

He moved onto his side, tearing his eyes away from the stars and instead focusing them onto Hulk's back. The big, green back, rippling with muscle, that somehow reminded him of his other home. Of Midgard. Of forests and leaves and his teammates who'd always have his back when they needed him. It was...comforting, in a way. Granted, Hulk had recently punched him into unconsciousness but he seemed to have calmed down now. Even offered to share his bed, once he'd heard Thor's groans of discomfort from where he tried to sleep on the floor. 

Thor had wanted to protest. Really, he had. But Hulk's bed was big, and the blankets looked soft, and he'd never admit it but he was hurting. Things had happened in quick succession that had left him feeling somewhat lost, and Hulk was offering him a place of refuge, and who was he to say no, really? 

And besides, Hulk wasn't that bad. He was actually rather sweet, in a rough, naive sort of way. He'd planted one of his capes over Thor's shoulders as a makeshift blanket when it became evident that one wasn't enough to cover them both, and told him in no uncertain terms to get some rest. 

"Blondie sleep now." He'd said, patting his shoulder over the garishly patterned fabric. "Feel better tomorrow."

Well, it was probably tomorrow by now. And Thor didn't feel better.   
His home was burning. The prophecy from two years ago, singed into his mind by the Maximoff girl, Heimdall's bloodied hands gripping his arms and his voice, grating and sharp, speaking of the destruction he would bring. 

'You're a destroyer, Odinson.'

'We are all dead, can you not see?' 

"Not asleep?" 

Deep tones, mumbled through fleeting wakefulness jarred him out of his stupor, as green eyes poked through the darkness to stare at him reproachfully. 

Hulk's eyes glowed slightly, a faint green shine. Weird. 

"No, not quite." Thor frowned to himself, turning onto his back to look at the ceiling instead. "Did I wake you?" 

"Mm." Hulk nodded, huge hands clamping against a mouth to stifle a yawn. There was a rustling of sheets, and out of the corner of his eye Thor caught Hulk staring at him a little more intently than before. Thick brows furrowed, nose slightly scrunched, Hulk huffed slightly through his nostrils.   
"Thor stressed." 

He opened his mouth, and was surprised at how quickly he'd wanted to lie. He didn't like lying, and by all accounts wasn't particularly good at it. That was more Loki's field of excellence, after all. But the words 'Im fine' seemed to escape him before he could even think about what he was saying. 

"Just tired, that's all." He offered a smile, reaching out to pat Hulk's forearm before twisting onto his side, trying to escape the prying green light of his eyes.   
"I'm sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep."

"What Thor thinking about?" 

A perfectly innocent question. One that he could feel the lie building in his throat - the gladiator fight, perhaps? The grandmaster? The ugly walls? He had options. Ones outside of what was actually running through his head. The white hot fear that his planet was going to die. His people were going to die. And there wasn't anything he could do about it. 

Thor wound the blanket tighter between his fingers, screwing his eyes shut against the faint sparks that danced across his palms. He didn't want to say what he was thinking about. He didn't even want to be thinking about it.   
But someone had to.   
He just hated that it had to be him. 

And he would've kept that secret, too. If it hadn't been for Hulk's hand, touching his shoulder with an almost nervous apprehension. He'd been on the receiving end of Hulk's force before, he'd seen the extent of his strength. But this...this was new. It was gentle. It was a comforting weight across his back, a reminder that right now, he wasn't alone. Someone was here, waiting to listen.   
He just needed to find the words. 

"I'm...scared." He finally choked out, briefly turning his head to look out to the night sky. 

"My people are in danger, and everything the Norns told me is coming true and I don't even know if I can stop it, let alone how. I don't..." He trailed off, suddenly tight and crushing against his throat. When his voice finally came back to him, it felt small, fragile, with a small waver to it that Thor tried very hard to banish.  
"I don't even have my hammer."

Hulk was quiet for a time after that. So long that Thor thought for a moment he'd fallen back asleep. But eventually, the mattress shifted, as Hulk pushed himself up onto his elbows, shrugging his shoulders as he attempted to string the right words together. 

"Thor..."   
He began, frowning, fiddling with his hands in a way that seemed more to belong to Banner than it had Hulk. The bed creaked as he shuffled somewhat closer, the hand on his shoulder returning to turn Thor towards him, those emerald eyes boring down onto him like the cameras in the arena.   
"Thor strong. Brave. Tough, like Hulk." He paused tilting his head, one large thumb rubbing small circles through Thor's armor.   
"Thor gonna be okay."

Thor blinked, part of him telling him that this was stupid. He shouldn't be taking advice from the Hulk. You didn't do that, you took advice from Bruce, the scientist, the doctor. Hulk wasn't supposed to contain profound knowledge and he certainly wasn't supposed to be comforting.   
But that didn't change the fact that he was. Hulk was telling him that he was strong, that he could do this, and by the Norns did he want to believe him. 

Thor released his hold on the blanket, flexing his fingers in front of his eyes. No lightning. Just sparks, dancing between his fingertips. Hardly the stuff of legend.  
"You really think I can do it?" 

Hulk breathed out sharply through his nose, tossing his head against the pillow in an attempt at a shrug. "Hulk don't know what Thor doing. But yes. Thor not that puny."

A small smile graced Thor's features, the pressure in his chest feeling just that little bit lighter when he allowed himself a chuckle, pressing his face half into the pillow to at least try and cover the sound. 

"Blondie stop laughing! Hulk being serious!" One of Hulk's hands roughly prodded him in the shoulder, the outrage in his voice only serving to make Thor's giggling harder to contain. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just..." He sighed, happily this time, and sat up in the bed so he could look at Hulk properly.   
"It's lovely that you care. You're very sweet to say all that."

"Hulk not sweet! Hulk strong!" Hulk's frown deepened as Thor clamped his hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking with muted laughter. "Blondie stop it!" 

"Alright, alright!"   
Thor narrowly dodged one of Hulk's hands, slamming into the mattress where he'd been laying just seconds ago. He was still smiling, he didn't think he was ever going to be able to banish that grin from his face, but he'd rather avoid a further pummeling from Hulk if he could. And, besides. It had been sweet. And it had made him feel better. The last thing he wanted to do was make Hulk uncomfortable, even if it was just through compliments. 

He held his hands up in defence, moving slowly to pat the green muscle of Hulk's chest in a show of thanks, his tone sobering slightly as he tried to claw for words that seemed more sincere.   
"Truly, you are a creature of wisdom. Thank you." 

Hulk sniffed, tossing his head back against the pillow and drawing most of the blankets with him, staring up at Thor with a soft green glow spilling from between the blankets.  
"Thor welcome. Now go sleep." 

"Yes, yes of course. That seems wise."   
He stretched out on the bed, letting his eyes shut against the harsh colours of the ceiling, trying to tune out the background noise of Sakaar as he made himself comfortable.   
"Goodnight, Hulk." 

"Night, Blondie."


End file.
